A Level results day 2025: When is it and what to expect on the day? Everything you need to know
The day students have been waiting for is almost here ✉
- There are now less than two weeks to go until A Level results day
- You’ll need to pick up your results from school, but you have a few options after that
- Students heading off to university next will also find out more around outcomes and offers at this time too
- If you think there’s been a mistake you can appeal your results
- There’s even a priority service for those with university offers waiting
This year’s A Level candidates will soon be able to reap the rewards of their years of hard work, and countless hours spent studying.
Students taking their A Levels this year began their exams back in mid-May, with the summer series wrapping up in late June. Since then, it’s been a tense and months-long wait for their final results - and for some, the outcomes of any conditional university offers. But at long last, that wait is nearing its end.
According to Ofqual, there were more than 820,000 A Level entries across the country this year. While many of the students this data represents will have also sat their GCSEs, A Levels results day can look a little different. And as it’s typically the final set of qualifications they sit before leaving secondary school, the stakes might be a little higher.
So how exactly can they pick up their results, what can be done if they think there’s been a mistake, and what do students heading off to university this year need to do next? Here’s what you need to know:
When is A Level results day this year?
No matter whether they hail from England, Northern Ireland or Wales, students who sat their A Level exams throughout May and June will get their results on Thursday, August 14 - a little less than two weeks away.
However, unlike Scotland where all exam results are released at once, pupils who sat their GCSE exams will still have another week of waiting. Their results day will be on Thursday, August 21 this year.
How can students get their results?
Unless you made special arrangements or your school has told you otherwise, your results envelope should be available to pick up from your school or college on the day. You’ll need to check with your school what time it opens, but this is usually from quite early in the morning.
Their results will be inside a sealed envelope. Students can open them then and there, and talk them through with school staff if they’d like. This can sometimes be a good idea, as staff are typically able to provide support or guidance if their results aren’t what they hoped for. Or they can wait to open them together with friends or family.
What do the different grades mean – and what should you do if you think there’s been a mistake?
For each A level subject they took, students will receive a letter grade. There are six passing grades: A*, A, B, C, D and E. A* is the highest, usually reserved for students who scored at least 75-85% of all possible marks in their exam, although as grade boundaries are set based after exams are completed, you’ll only be able to find out the exact range for each subject on the day.
If you or the young student in your life don’t get the grades they need for any conditional university offers - or even if they’re just lower than expected - it can be an upsetting experience. But if they seem unusually low or there appears to have been some kind of mistake, you are able to appeal them with your exam board.
Most of the time, your school will need to do this for you. It’s best to speak to school staff right away, as there are strict timeframes for submitting priority reviews. Schools can ask for the exam’s marking to be reviewed. If you’ve done this and still have concerns, your school can also appeal that initial review - and the exam board will look over it again and make a final call. There is one final step available if you still have concerns, which is to appeal to Ofqual. They will look over the exam board’s marking to make sure it meets their standards.
While you won’t be charged if you request a review and your grade is changed as a result, you may be charged a fee if it doesn’t - and these can add up. There is also a priority service available for students with a university offer waiting. You should let your school know if you need a priority review, and take action as soon as possible to avoid missing your exam board’s deadline on this. AQA’s priority deadline this year, for example, is Thursday, August 21.
What happens next for students planning to go to university?
Your results will be passed on directly to UCAS, so you don’t need to worry about that. But it’s still worth logging into your UCAS online portal on results day.
If you already have a university offer and your grades meet their conditions, then you should hear back as early as that day that your place has been confirmed. The university or tertiary institute will be in touch to let you know what your next steps are.
If you don’t get the grades needed for any of your offers or you applied late, UCAS will automatically enter you into Clearing. You can also use the service if you’ve changed your mind about what you want to study, and want to look at your options. This helps match students up to universities with open places, and it usually has thousands of course options. The ones UCAS thinks are most suitable for you will appear under ‘My Matches’.
When you find one you’re interested in, you will need to call that university to discuss whether they would consider you. They’ll have dedicated phone lines and teams to answer theses calls. Once you’ve got their approval, you can officially add them to your application by clicking 'Add Clearing Choice' and filling in the details. You’ll have to wait on them to accept, but once they do, you can proceed like any other university offer.
The Department for Education has a blog post with advice for parents and carers supporting students who are receiving their exam results - including what to do if things don’t go as expected. You can check it out online here.